The Toronto Maple Leafs made their one and only visit to Rexall Place Tuesday night.

David Clarkson, however, was here four months ago.

He was in the Edmonton Oilers dressing room, not the visitors’ bathhouse.

The Oilers were putting the full-court press on the tough, free-agent winger, reportedly offering seven years and $6 million a season–salary and term, the magic two words for any player — but Clarkson left money on the table to sign with the Maple Leafs for the same seven years but a $5.25 million cap hit. The pull to play for the team he was in love with when he was in grade school was too much.

Gravity pulled the right-winger back to his roots. “I wore the jersey as a little kid,” said Clarkson. He idolized Wendel Clark, which is why he’s wearing the flipside of his 17 (71). Clark is one of the Leafs’ honoured numbers–not retired but in mothballs.

So Clarkson, 29, will be in the top six for the Maple Leafs Tuesday, doing what he does best–getting to the neighbourhood around the Oilers’ net, throwing his weight around. All traits the Oilers valued and wanted badly with their cadre of skilled but smallish forwards. They had him here for a visit, with his wife, talking about the players, the tax situation (no sales tax), what the city was like.

Clarkson said he had discussions with five or six teams , mostly in the East, and said he had visits to four cities but he was mostly torn between the Leafs, growing up in Ontario, likely Ottawa and a bright, new challenge, moving West. Really torn.

“I met with Dallas (coach Eakins) and the other people here and they seemed down to earth people, like I am,” said Clarkson. “They were fantastic to me and my wife, more than you know. It was a very hard phone call to make (to tell them he was going to Toronto). I wasn’t sold on going home to play. I believe in what they have over there, a young group and with Dallas I think they’re going in the right direction.”

“I looked at the Oilers’ lineup before I made my decision…my goal is to win, that’s what I’ve played for my whole career. I believe they have something special in Edmonton, especially with Dallas as a person,” he said.

The Oilers have been spinning their wheels this season, getting off to an awful start, but Clarkson was looking big picture, not a first-month snapshot although the Oilers have dug themselves a huge hole in the first month.

Clarkson stewed over where to go for several hours on the day free-agency opened July 5. “I could have made my decision (new team after playing for New Jersey) at 12 noon but I waited until 3:30. I was sitting with my wife weighing things, and it came down to wanting to be in Toronto. I’m a pretty quiet person and there’s a lot of limelight there. It can get pretty crazy, but…”

But, those heart-strings were pulled pretty hard. He grew up in Etobicoke, tugged on the Leafs’ jersey to play with his brother Doug, and played junior down the road in Kitchener for current Devils’ coach Pete DeBoer.

“These guys here made it very tough on me. I wish them all the best and I want to say hello to Dallas. I’d never met him before but I met him on the trip here and was very impressed,” said Clarkson.

The extra travel in the West was certainly a factor after playing in New Jersey where he was home in his own bed after most road games. “I’ve got two kids, but when you choose to come out and meet with the Oilers you’re very interested. ”

The Leafs, who have lots of shooters in their gun rack and some abrasiveness, felt they needed Clarkson’s brand of ill-humour and hands. He can be a 30-goal, 150 PIMs guy. They used him in a shutdown role against Sidney Crosby’s line, something new for him.

“We know that he’ll bring the committment to the physical side of things. He’ll go into the tough areas and draw attention. Things he’s done all career,” said Leafs’ coach Randy Carlyle. “We’re not asking him to do something he’s not capable of doing.”

Clarkson missed the first 10 games with an exhibition suspension for leaving the bench to get into it with John Scott, but he’s come as advertised. “He had 10 hits in his second game and unfortunately he hit (Rob) Scuderi, clean hit, shoulder to shoulder and Scuderi broke his ankle,” said Carlyle.

“It was an innocent play but I heard him yell when I hit him,” said Clarkson. “I feel bad for him.”

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